Oneesan?

[100PercentWeasel]

Trying to figure out which form of 'older sister' I should use for my own sibling but I'm not sure which I should use.

Questions: Which form(s) refer to ones own sister? Which should be used when speaking to your sister? Which should be used when talking to someone else about your sister? Which is most polite? Is there an honorific form?

My sister is kinda an ass so If theres a honorific form i'd like...not to use that one

[skrhgh3b]

If I had an elder sister, and I were Japanese, I'd call her 姉貴(あねき) (^_^;

Your question can get a little more complicated, but the simple answer is your own elder sister is 姉(あね) and someone else's elder sister is お姉(ねえ)さん.

[100PercentWeasel]

Oh perhaps I should have mentioned this earlier but- I can't read kanji. Only know bout katakana and half of hiragana. The above message comes to me in peices

[mandolin]

The bits he has in parentheses is the pronunciation of the kanji.

Anyway..

if he had an elder sister, he'd call her "aneki"

simple answer yada yada = your own elder sister is "ane"
someone else's older sister is "oneesan"

[yankumi]

you don't refer to your own elder sister as おねえさん? We have been watching Tonari No Totoro and that is what it sounds like Mei is calling Satsuki.

[mandolin]

When you speak TO someone, you will use the honorific. oneesan/oneechan will also be used for a slightly older female not even related, when speaking TO them.

But when speaking about your own sister TO someone else, you will use ane. When speaking to someone else about THEIR older sister, you will use oneesan.

[clay]

My wife's younger sister calls her お姉ちゃん. I haven't asked anyone this question, but I imagine it varies from household to household.

[skrhgh3b]

That's because the Japanese commonly address members of their own family from the perspective of the youngest member when talking to each other. For example, a wife might call her husband お父さん, and a younger brother might call his older sister お姉さん, and etc. 〜ちゃん is more 'endearing' than 〜さん - I can remember reading it originally comes from baby talk. The important thing to remember about the difference between terms like お母さん and 母 is that 母 is a humble way to refering to your own mother when speaking to someone who's not a member of your own family. But like I said, the way the Japanese address each other can get a little complex. 'Family' terms can also be general ways of addressing strangers. For example, you might address an unkown young woman as お姉さん or an unkown midle-aged woman as おばさん.

Sorry if my wording isn't a little more clear, but it's very, very A.M.

[AJBryant]

you don't refer to your own elder sister as おねえさん? We have been watching Tonari No Totoro and that is what it sounds like Mei is calling Satsuki.

You're conflating "addressing" and "referring to". You *address* her as "oneesan" -- you *refer to her* as "ane."

Tony

[KT]

when talking about one's own family to others-
older sister - ane
older broter - ani
younger sister - imoto
younger brother - ototo
mother - haha
father - chichi
aunt - oba
uncle - oji
grandmother - sobo
grandfather - sofu

talking to ones own family or some one elses family-
older sister - oneesan
older brother - oniisan
younger sister - imotosan
younger brother - ototosan
mother - okaasan
father - otosan
aunt - obasan
uncle - ojisan
grandmother - obaasan
grandfather - ojiisan

[ryuubu]

I'd call my own sister by 'neesan' or 'neechan'